New Year's Day

New Year's Day, or Araw ng Bagong Taon is celebrated with
the family in or outside the house. The year is greeted on the
Bisperas ng Bagong Taon (New
Year's Eve) with a lavish feast, called media noche
(literally, "middle of the night"). Round shaped foods, sticky or
glutinous rice based foods, and various 12 round shaped fruits for
each of the months of the year are served. Traditionally,
Filipinos, Chinese, and Spaniards stay at home, the latter serving
parties lavishly, which almost always includes a lechon (suckling roasted pig). However, more and more
of the younger generation and the recent immigrants such as
Americans have popularized the celebration of the New Year in grand
hotels, restaurants, in parks, and in streets. Children light
firecrackers such as watusi or the sinturon ni
Hudas (Judas' belt), while adults spend the night recollecting
the year, and, in many families, involves a Bible reading.

Last Day of the Year Celebrations

Citing the Filipino tradition of New Year's Day, the Philippine
Congress decided to formally recognize December 31 as an annual
non-working holiday where it is sandwiched in between two official
Philippine holidays (these being Rizal Day and New Year's Day,
though Rizal Day is not necessarily celebrated on its official
December 30 date).

Holy Week

Holy Week, or Semana Santa in Filipino (from the Spanish
Semana Santa), is the only week where the whole country
shuts down. It starts with Linggo ng Palaspas or
Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), then continues on until
Linggo ng Pagkabuhay (Easter
Sunday). Only after Linggo ng Pagkabuhay (Easter Sunday) does the whole country resume
its operations. The old Catholic belief that Christ is dead during
Good Friday at three o' clock in the afternoon is still prevalent
among the rural Filipinos, and so, journeys are not continued and
children are warned not to make noise or to play outside. They
believe that bad spirits roam around, with no Christ to stop them
from harming anyone. After Sabado de Gloria (Black/Holy
Saturday), Holy Week ends on the Linggo ng Pagkabuhay
(Easter Sunday), when Catholic
churches hold Masses and dawn processions (known as the Salubong). Shopping malls and hotels also hold
celebrations and Easter egg hunts.

Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valour)

On April 9, 1942, 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers surrendered
to the Japanese at the tip of the Bataan Peninsula, which juts into
Manila Bay in the Philippines. For nearly five months, the troops
had fought ferociously against overwhelming odds until they ran out
of food and water, medical supplies and ammunition. As prisoners of
war (POWs), they and thousands of Filipinos were taken to a camp
run by the Japanese army. This grueling series of marches are now
known as the Bataan Death March.
In 2009, Araw ng Kagitingan fell on Maundy/Holy Thursday.

Labour Day

For the Philippine labour movement, the 100th year of the
observance of Labour Day was also the
year of unemployment.

The first Labour Day celebrations held in the Philippines took
place on May 1, 1903. In a mammoth rally in front of Malacañang
Palace that day, the Union Obrera Democratica
(Democratic Labourer's Union) , while pressing for workers’
economic rights

Araw ng Kalayaan (Independence Day)

The
Phlippines celebrates its Declaration of
Independence from Spain on June
12. This took place on that day in 1898, at the house of the
first Philippine president, Emilio
Aguinaldo, in Kawit, Cavite. From
the balcony of his house, Gen. Aguinaldo waved the national flag while a band played
the national anthem, known today as
the "Lupang Hinirang". This scene was immortalized on the
now out-of-circulation 5 peso bill, replaced now by a coin with
Aguinaldo on it. The nation celebrated its Centennial in
1998.

The Philippines achieved independence from the United States with
the signing of a Treaty of General relations between the two
governments. The treaty provided for the recognition of the
independence of the Republic of the Philippines as of July 4, 1946
and the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippine
Islands.

From 1946 to 1961, Independence Day was observed on July 4, the
anniversary date of the 1946 recognition by the U.S. of the
Philippines as an independent state. On 12 May, 1962, PresidentDiosdado Macapagal issued Presidential
proclamation No. 28, which declared Tuesday, June 12, 1962 a
special public holiday throughout the Philippines, "... in
commemoration of our people's declaration of their inherent and
inalienable right to freedom and independence. On August 4, 1964,
Republic Act No. 4166 renamed the July 4 holiday as "Philippine
Republic Day", proclaimed the twelfth day of June is as the
Philippine Independence
Day, and enjoined all citizens of the Philippines to observe 12
June with rites befitting Independence Day.

Nu’ain Bin Abdulhaqq, an official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF), contends that celebrating June 12, 1898 (a date earlier
than the December 10, 1898 signing date of the Treaty of Paris) as the date of
Philippine independence provides the pretext for Moro
independence.

Philippine Republic Day (Filipino-American Friendship Day)

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines was officially declared
independent and inaugurated Manuel
Roxas as the first president of the (3rd) Republic of the
Philippines. July 4 was celebrated in the Philippines as
Independence Day until 1962. Diosdado Macapagal, President of the
Philippines in 1962, had formed an opinion when he was a
congressman that July 4 was not the proper Independence Day for
Filipinos and should be changed to June 12—the date General Emilio
Aquinaldo proclaimed the independence of Filipinos in Kawit,
Cavite, in 1898. The opportunity to do this came when the US House
of Representatives rejected the US$73 million additional war
payment bill on May 9, 1962. Noting that there was indignation
about this among Filipinos, President Macapagal on 12 May issued
Presidential Proclamation No. 28, proclaiming Tuesday, June 12,
1962 as a special public holiday throughout the Philippines.

In 1964, Republic Act No. 4166 changed the date of Independence Day
from July 4 to June 12 and renamed the July 4 holiday as Philippine
Republic Day. The holiday was often informally referred to as
Filipino-American Friendship Day. It was celebrated from 1963 until
PresidentCorazon Aquino issued a Presidential
proclamation removing this Filipino-American Friendship Day from
the list of regular holidays. For the year of 1996, President In 1995, President Fidel Ramos noted that July 4, 1996 would mark
the 50th Anniversary of the Philippine-American Friendship Day
which ushered the beginning of the Philippine political
independence from the American colonial rule and created a National
Executive Committee on the Commemoration of that 50th
anniversary.

Ninoy Aquino Day

The Philippines observes the death of prominent Marcos opponent
Benigno S."Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. on this day. After three
years of exile in the United States, Aquino made the journey home
only to meet an assassin's bullet at the Manila airport that now
bears his name in 1983. It is created by the enactment of Republic Act No. 9256 on February 25, 2004
during the 18th anniversary of the first EDSA Revolution.

National Heroes Day

The Philippines, on this day, commemorates the celebration of the
national heroes. National Heroes day falls every last Monday of
August. It is a regular holiday in the Philippines
remembering the Cry of Pugad
Lawin by Filipino Revolutionary forces called the
Katipunan led by its leader (Supremo) Andres Bonifacio. It is now observed
every 4th Monday of August.

Todos Los Santos (All Saints Day)

Also known as Undas, All Saints
Day in the Philippines is observed in remembrance of the dead.
Families return to their respective provinces to clean and repair
the tombs of their deceased loved ones and to pray for them. This
day is used to be a regular holiday in the Philippines but was
changed to a non-working holiday through an Executive Order issued
by PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The first observance of Eid ul-Fitr was celebrated on December 6,
2002; this date occurs about 11 days earlier every year in the
Gregorian calendar. Therefore,
this makes it a movable holiday in accordance with the Islamic
calendar. Many non-Muslim Filipinos are still
unfamiliar to the new holiday, and many calendars printed in the
Philippines still have not listed this holiday.

Andres Bonifacio Day

On November 30, 1863, Bonifacio was born to Santiago Bonifacio and
Catalina de Castro. His given name, Andres, comes from Saint
Andrew, whose feast day falls on this day. Bonifacio Day every year
on November 30, a date that is sometimes confused with National
Heroes Day.

Bonifacio Day is also odd, because heroes—like saints—are often
remembered more for their death than their birth. Philippine
national hero Jose Rizal's birthday, June 19, is a holiday in
Laguna province, and the date of his execution, December 30, is a
national holiday known as Rizal Day.

Bonifacio is remembered on his birthday, rather than the date of
his death, May 10, 1897, for historical reasons. Unlike Rizal who
was executed by the enemy, and other heroes who died in battle,
Bonifacio was executed by fellow Filipinos. This was done on the
orders of the first President, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, since he was
considered an enemy of the state, after the occurrences at the
Tejeros convention.

Christmas Eve

The Filipino Christmas celebration period is one of, if not the,
longest in the world, stretching from even as early as September
until the first week of January. Parols, along with other decorations, are set up
for the holidays. The Christmas season, therefore, is one of the
holidays that Filipinos hold dear.

Christmas Eve in the Philippines is one of the traditions that most
families celebrate. It is a night without sleep and a continuous
celebration moving right into Christmas Day. As December 24 dawns,
the last Mass of Misa de
Gallo is attended then preparation begins for the
Noche Buena (literally "Good
Night" from Spanish) , which is a family feast that takes place
after midnight.

The Noche Buena is very much like an open house celebration.
Family, friends, relatives, and neighbors drop by to wish every
family member "Maligayang Pasko!" (Merry Christmas! in Tagalog).
Food is in abundance, often served in buffet style. Guests or
visitors partake of the food prepared by the host family (even
though they are already full or bloated!). Among the typical foods
prepared in the Philippines during Christmas are: lechon (roasted pig), pancit, barbecue, rice, adobo,
cakes (Western and native rice cakes), lumpia, etc. There is also
an abundance of beer, wine, and liquor.

The streets are well lit and are full of activities. The children
run in and out of the house to play, to eat, and to play again. The
Christmas Eve gathering provides an opportunity for a reunion of
immediate and distant family members. Some families may choose to
exchange gifts at this time while others wait until Christmas
Day.

In general, the center of a family's Christmas gathering is always
the lola, the endearing term used for a family matriarch
or grandmother, who is deeply respected, highly revered, and always
present. Filipinos remember how their lola had their children form
a line and step up to receive a small gift of some coins. The older
the child, the more coins he or she receives.

Some families even have a talent show during the Christmas Eve
celebration. Children are asked to perform such as singing a
Christmas song, playing a musical instrument, reciting a poem or
doing a dance. The celebrations continue until about 6 o'clock on
Christmas morning. Those who cannot attend Mass the night before
will go to the morning Mass on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day

Christmas is an annual holiday that
celebrates the birth of Jesus. Christmas
festivities combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various secular customs.
The date as a birthdate for Jesus is traditional, and is not
considered to be his actual date of
birth.

Rizal Day

"Holiday Economics"

President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo usually issues proclamations moving the
holiday to Friday if a holiday falls on a Wednesday or Thursday, or
to Monday if a holiday falls on a Tuesday. The sole purpose is to
enable government and private employees to enjoy a three day
weekend holiday. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, coining the
term holiday economics, introduced the policy in 2001 to reduce
disruption to business and production schedules, encourage domestic
tourism and give employees long weekends. In 2004 she issued a
proclamation making Christmas Eve as special non-working holiday
and December 27, the Monday after Christmas as special non-working
holiday.

On July 25, 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law
Republic Act (RA) 9492 also known as "An Act Rationalizing the
Celebration of National Holidays", designating 11 Regular Holidays
and three Nationwide Special Holidays.. Specific dates or days for
celebration are designated. The law provides that holidays falling
on a Wednesday will be observed on the Monday of the week and that
holidays falling on a on a Sunday, the holiday will be observed on
the Monday that follows. Three holidays (Maundy Thursday, Good
Friday, and Eidul Fitr) are designated as having movable dates, and
the law provides that for movable holidays the President shall
issue a proclamation, at least six months prior to the holiday
concerned, the specific date that shall be declared as a
non-working day. Though it was allowed by RA 9492, Labor Day was
never moved to another date by President Arroyo at the request of
labor groups.

While Arroyo's "holiday economics" has been praised for boosting
domestic tourism and for encouraging more quality time among
members of Filipino families, businessmen are complaining over lost
productivity and the hassle of preparing mandatory holiday and
overtime salaries in a short period of time. Others deplored it as
presidential tinkering with history via executive fiat.

The final two weeks of 2008 have the largest number of holidays
based on Presidential Proclamation 1463 with offices closed from
December 25, 2008 until January 4, 2009.

Other Holidays declared in the Philippines

Constitution Day - was declared as a non-working holiday on
February 2, 2002 in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the
approval of the 1987 Philippine
constitution.

National Day of Prayer and Fasting - was declared by President
Joseph Estrada as a non-working
holiday during the 3rd Saturday of November in 1999 and 2000 as
advised by Bro. Mike Velarde, his
spriritual adviser.

Rizal Birth Anniversary - was declared on June 19, 1961 by
President Carlos P.Garcia in commemoration of the 100th birth
anniversary of Jose Rizal.

Eidul Adha - President Gloria Arroyo
declared November 27 and November 28 as special non-working
holidays. Since it was an executive order, it will only be
applicable for 2009.

Iglesia Ni Cristo Day - In keeping with Republic Act No. 9645,
signed into law on June 12, 2009, July 27 was designated as a
special national working holiday starting from 2009 and every year
thereafter in recognition of the founding anniversary of the
Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in the Philippines.

References

(see publisher's attribution, above footnotes)

"At the juncture of Macapagal’s proclamation, the Philippines
as a country was reverted to its delimitations provided for by the
Maura Law of 1893
wherein it stated that the territorial jurisdiction of Las Islas
Filipinas covered only Luzon and the Visayas. Therefore, the
independent territories of the Bangsamoro people which were not
colonized by Spain and respected by Aguinaldo were deemed excluded
from the territorial jurisdiction of the Republica Filipina, i.e.
Luzon and Visayas as of June 12, 1898. By all indications apparent
to the shifting of independence day from July to June 12, the
Philippines evidently reverted to its original territorial
delimitation
defined under the Royal Decree of February 26, 1886, the Maura Law
of 1893, and the Royal Decree of July 15, 1896 which all affirmed
the independence of the Moro territories from the Spanish-held
territories of Luzon, Visayas and some Pacific islands.", .